What Family Is
by burningbridges97
Summary: Deeks faces the challenges that accompany his father's trial, and in the process learns the true meaning of family. Companion piece to my NCIS fic "Gianna". Contains major Densi.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi, everybody! Well, I promised you all an NCIS: Los Angeles follow-up to _Gianna_, so here you are. For those of you who haven't read that, I highly advise you to. It's a prerequisite of sorts; you will not understand this if you don't read _Gianna _first. It's actually going to be ongoing, but I'm not quite sure how many chapters it will be. I suppose it depends on how things work out. Anyways, I did minimal research on the law for this fic, so I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies. I saw some varying data and used whatever source seemed more reliable. I'm just 14 and my only resource is the internet... so...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or NCIS. If I did, Deeks and Kensi would've confessed to their "thing" about 3 years ago...**

* * *

There was a knock on Deeks's hotel room door in DC. He slowly got up from his place laying on his bed, reaching for his Berretta. He made his way to the door, careful not to make too much noise as he walked. With a since glance through the peephole, he tossed his gun back onto the unmade right side of the bed and opened the door to reveal his partner standing there. He let her inside without a word.

She entered his room quietly, the only sound being her heels knocking against the tiled floor of the hotel room's diminutive kitchen. She was wearing a black sweater and dark wash jeans, her hair down and wavy. She shot him a slight smile as he led her into his bedroom and flopped back on the bed.

"What's the probability that my father won't die in jail?" Deeks inquired.

"Why are you asking me? You're the lawyer here."

"I've asked myself too many times. I need a second opinion."

"Well, in California, the maximum sentence for a single Class C involuntary manslaughter charge with a criminal record is 15 years. With two manslaughter charges, he can face as much as 30 years – two 15-year sentences served concurrently."

"And the domestic abuse charges?"

"On average, each domestic violence charge results in at least three years of jail time and 24 months of probation for each offense. He already served time for abusing you and your mother, correct?"

"Not entirely…" Deeks replied. "He was never convicted of raping my mother. Add that to the list."

"Okay. So, if Sheila, Alicia, Jessica, and Gianna were all abused, that's five charges of domestic abuse. So that's fifteen years of jail, 120 months of probation, not to mention the 52-week mandatory batterer's program. That's a total of 46 years in jail. How old is your father?"

"Let's see… I'm 32… that'd make him 54."

"He'd be 103 by the time he gets out, if he lives that long. The life expectancy for prisoners doesn't exactly extend into a second century."

Deeks nodded.

"But, look, that's just an estimate and we haven't even considered the fact that Gianna and Jessica were minors at the time—"

"I did the math and got pretty much the same calculations," he replied. "But what if he gets a good lawyer who can dispute some of the charges? Or if the jury sees a flaw?"

"With the great Abby Sciuto's forensic prowess, the evidence will surely be damning in court. With multiple testimonies from those Brandel has abused, I doubt that any defense he could make could save him."

"I want to know that he'll never abuse anyone else."

Kensi sighed. She wasn't about to pressure him to talk about his father, knowing that Gordon John Brandel was a sensitive subject with the detective.

"Do you know who the judge is?"

"Callen said that her name was Zoey Vincent. Didn't get details."

"Should search her name—see if we can find something to strike a nerve with her. Might give us the upper hand in the case."

"In the end, Judge Vincent isn't doing the judging, Kensi. It'll be a jury."

"Yes, but if we have a judge in our favor, we're more likely to speak more and make a better case."

Deeks nodded.

"You have a laptop. Would you mind—?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

Kensi took a seat on the bed beside him, ignoring the fact that she was, once again, next to him in a bed, not unlike their recent undercover mission as a married couple. She began her search on Judge Zoey Vincent. Scanning through dozens of worthless Google pages, it took her about fifteen minutes to find something worthwhile.

"Deeks… Deeks, look at this."

He sat up, looking at the screen of her laptop.

"That's an LAPD case report."

"Yep."

"For?"

"It says here that Zoey Vincent's half-brother, Artemis Vincent, was arrested two years ago."

"For what?"

"He was originally imprisoned for animal cruelty. Hundreds of dogs were killed in a dogfighting group that he'd organized. His sentence was 23 months in jail because it was finally named a federal offense for crossing state lines. Zoey felt as though his punishment wasn't severe enough and went to authorities, claiming that she was revealing her life's biggest secret."

"Which was?"

"When she was ten, Artemis sexually assaulted her. He was 22 at the time."

"That's terrible," Deeks muttered.

"I can't imagine a _relative _doing something so… _unspeakable_… to me. Maybe it's because I'm an only child and my father was always treated me with the upmost love, respect, and care. But it's just… _wrong_. It disgusts me. This Artemis guy and your father—they're complete… complete…"

"Douchebags?"

"Yeah. That."

Deeks sighed.

"That's convenient. We get the one advantage from the judge in the one subject we can't address directly."

"How so?"

"Agent DiNozzo told me that even talking about her abuse sends Gianna into panic mode. We can't have that."

"If she goes into a panic in the courtroom, we can make the jury identify with her and understand just how terrible Brandel was to her."

"But we run the risk of her health being at risk—or any of the jury seeing her as insane—both of which will affect the case negatively."

"I understand," Kensi replied. "She definitely is our first priority. If she has an anxiety attack in the middle of a trial it ends up being about Brandel and not about her."

Dees nodded slowly.

"I want to testify."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Deeks, you can't even tell _me _everything that happened with your father. What makes you think you'll be able to tell an entire courtroom of strangers?"

"The truth is a two-way street, Kens," he retorted.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't give me that fake innocence, _Sugar Bear_," he snapped, stressing one of his newer nicknames for her. "Try to tell me that you're completely truthful to me!"

"You're the one who walked away when I finally wanted to have a serious conversation with you!"

"You're still holding that against me? I thought you understood that I was trying not to take advantage of you! If I had let you finish what you were saying, I'd have come back and you'd see that our partnership was never in jeopardy! You'd assume that I was using my lies to take advantage of you! I didn't want to be unfair about it!"

"Deeks—"

"And, seriously, we've been partners for three years and you're still calling me by my last name!"

"_Everyone _calls you by your last name!"

"So? Sam's the only one who really refers to Callen as G!"

"That's different!"

"How?"

"Sam and Callen don't have a thing!"

Shocked by her own words, her hand sprung to her mouth.

"Kens…" Deeks murmured, his eyes widening. He stared deep into her polychrome eyes. His hand reached up, moving her hand away from her mouth and entwining their fingers. He gently placed one hand on her cheek and leaned toward her until the distance between their lips was almost indecipherable. Their lips were just about to meet when Kensi leaned back a minute distance, avoiding his eyes.

"Um… you should probably call Sheila and Alicia and Jessica and the twins and, uh, figure out a lawyer, and… yeah…"

"Yeah, I, uh, probably… you should… I need to…"

"I'll just… go…"

"Kens—"

Before he could stop her, she was out the door. He got up to chase after her, but by the time he got to the door, she had already made her way out of the hallway. Dejectedly, he shut his door and leaned back against it, sliding down to the floor and burying his head in his hands. What did he just do?

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**Any thoughts? Favorite lines? Ideas for upcoming chapters? Please no flames, but constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks, everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, guys. Sorry it took me so long to update this. I got kinda stuck on this chapter, but I hope it turned out alright! Just so everyone knows, "Gianna" is on a slight hiatus while this gets updated. In "Gianna" I was just going to pick up where it left off after the case. If you guys want me to just post the next chapter of that where it picks up, please tell me. If you'd much rather see how the case itself plays out before I continue "Gianna", then please tell me so. Reviews are appreciated! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: *awkward silence***

* * *

"Hey. It's me," he started into the phone, while sitting at a table in his hotel room in DC. The decision to make this call was done desperately. This was someone he hadn't talked to in a while. He wasn't sure what to say or how they were going to respond to his phone call after all this time. He'd promised to call, hadn't he? However, it wasn't exactly under these circumstances that he's promised to call.

"_Hey. Well, _finally_ Marty. You and Wikipedia finally figured out your thing?"_

Deeks sighed. He knew that that was the first thing that he would ask, which was the reason he was reluctant to call Ray in the first place. He didn't want to think about where his relationship with Kensi lay after last night. He figured he'd royally messed up with her, and there was a good chance that their partnership would now be doomed. That was what scared him the most. If his partnership with Kensi was over, he didn't think that he'd have the strength to stay at NCIS. He'd likely return to LAPD, where everybody hated him.

"It's a little more complicated than that, Ray. Listen, some stuff happened recently. I need someone to talk to and you're all I've got."

There was a long silence while Ray contemplated the meaning behind what Deeks had just said. Deeks didn't really open up about what happened in his life, even to his best friend. He always downplayed pain – both physical and emotional – because he spent his entire childhood doing so.

"_If I'm your last resort, by all means. But what's wrong? Is Kensi okay?"_

"She's fine. But I have a problem. It's about my father."

"_What about that bastard?" _Ray immediately responded.

Deeks sighed, running one hand down his face, and then dropping it dejectedly to his side.

"He's alive."

"_That's not possible. You said he died in a car accident years ago."_

"My father's been living by his twin brother's name for the past few years. He's back and he's in deep—"

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa. He's been living a different life all this time?"_

"Yeah. And he did some real screwed up stuff. Landed himself in NCIS custody."

"_What did he do?"_

"Abused, let's see, _five_ women?"

"_How'd NCIS get the case?"_

"His most recent punching bag was the biological daughter of two DC agents."

"_So it isn't an official NCIS case, then?"_

"No, it isn't. I've been thinking of who the attorney on the case should be. I think I should do it."

"_You haven't practiced law since—"_

"I passed the bar, Ray. If I want to be the attorney, I can."

"_It's not a good idea. You need me, Marty. I'll be on the next flight—"_

"No," Deeks cut him off in a firm voice. "You lie low. You protect your wife and child. Spend time with them, be the best father you can be. How are they, by the way?"

"_Jenna and Marty are great. Thanks for asking."_

There was a prolonged silence while Deeks let the new information sink in. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and taking a breath.

"Marty…"

"_Yeah. Marty. Just like you, too. He's blonde with blue eyes. Super talkative. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was your kid. You didn't sleep with Jenna, did you?"_

He laughed, standing up and proceeding to pour himself a cup of coffee as the machine beeped.

"No, buddy, I didn't. If I had, I'd have told you."

"_Would you?"_

"Oh, yeah. You've got one rather attractive wife there. If I'd laid a hand on her, I absolutely would not have kept that a secret."

Ray chuckled.

"_Good to know that your morals as far as sleeping with your best friend's wife are securely in place."_

"Yep," Deeks chortled.

"_I forgot to tell you… we named you Marty's godfather. You're my best friend and the only one I have. Jenna didn't really have friends and we didn't know who else to name as a godmother so I suggested your partner. I know we didn't exactly tell you, but I hope that's okay…" _Ray trailed off, taking a step back before he showed too much fondness toward Deeks. He couldn't cross that line because men didn't just show affection outright to their friends. It was a sort of a rule.

"It's… an honor. Thank you, Ray. And thank Jenna for me. I really don't know what to say."

"_Don't say anything then. But you can promise me that you'll get your crap together and get something going with Wikipedia?"_

"That's the other reason I called. Look, last night… she admitted to there being a _thing_. And I almost kissed her. And I got _so close_, too."

"_What happened?"_

"She pulled away. And I don't know what the hell is going on with her! I mean, she admits that there's a _thing_! We both know that there's something there! She even kissed me back in May! It was a cover kiss, but still!" He threw the hand that wasn't holding the phone up in the air in frustration.

"_Wait. She kissed you?"_

"We were undercover as a married couple. Shared a bed for about two weeks. We were searching through our suspects' stuff while we were at their house and she kissed me to cover for it. That means something, right?"

"_I don't know what to tell you. There's so obviously something between you. You need to talk about it, Marty. That's all I can say."_

"I don't want to screw up our partnership. If I say something stupid, I'm afraid that it'll end things. We've been on the rocks before and I don't want to go there again."

"_And you'll be on the rocks until you talk. Trust me."_

Deeks heard a noise in the background and frowned. Ray said something away from the receiver. He waited for a moment before his friend returned.

"_Hold on. Jenna wants to say hi."_

"Alright."

There was a short pause as Ray handed over the phone and told Jenna he was going to grab a snack from the kitchen.

"_Hey, Marty, how have you been?" _the female's voice began.

"I'm good, Jen, how are you?"

"_Great." _She lowered her voice. _"He really misses you. And if you ever need him, he has my permission to head over to LA or DC or wherever you might be. You know you can call whenever, right?"_

"Yeah, I know. I just don't want to put you or your kid in danger. Or Ray. The three of you mean a lot to me, okay?"

He hadn't really known Jenna at all. However, when he learned that she was pregnant with Ray's child back in May of 2011, he immediately felt overprotective of her. She had been so nice to him when they talked before Ray left, and he'd grown to really like her.

"Thank you, by the way, for making me Marty's godfather. And naming him Marty in the first place. That was so nice of you. Thank you."

"_It's not like Ray had any other friends,_" Jenna laughed. _"But you were always his first choice."_

"Kensi will be thrilled to know that you made her the godmother."

"_I hope so. But I thought I heard Ray saying that there was trouble in paradise?"_

"It never really was paradise in the first place. We never were together and it wasn't an official fight, but I did do something that might screw up our partnership… and that _thing, _as Ray called it. I think I really screwed up this time, Jen. Any thoughts, coming from a woman?"

"_You need to talk."_

"You don't know Kensi. She doesn't do change. Hell, she doesn't do second dates. And she _definitely_ doesn't do commitment. She knows that I want marriage and kids and she doesn't think that she deserves that."

"_If she doesn't want to talk about it, then you need to push her. Otherwise, you'll get nowhere."_

Thinking back to every time that they had gotten close to discussing their _thing_, one of them had stepped back from the ledge, and they'd never ended up talking about it. Maybe Jenna and Ray were right – if he wanted this _thing_ to go anywhere, then it was essential that they talk it over.

"Thanks again," he replied.

"_Well, I'll put Ray back on. Nice talking to you, Marty."_

"You too."

"_Hey, did she talk about me?" _Ray asked.

"Yes," Deeks said blatantly.

"_Thanks, Jen!" _he heard Ray call to his wife. _"Great. I don't even want to know what she said. So don't tell me."_

"Wasn't anything too bad – as far as you know." He glanced at the caller ID as his phone beeped. "Hey, buddy, Callen's calling me on the other end. I gotta get going. I'll call you soon, okay?"

"_Better be because you and Wikipedia worked things out."_

"Maybe. Well, it was nice talking to you. When this blows over, I'll come out to see you, okay?"

"_Alright. See you, man."_

"Bye."

Deeks hung up on Ray, took a steadying breath, and answered the call.

"Yeah, Callen?"

"_Hey. We need you at the Navy Yard. You good to come in?"_

"Uh, yeah, I'll be there in…" he checked the clock, glancing down at his white t-shirt and boxers, "twenty minutes?"

"Got it. See you then."

* * *

Deeks climbed the stairs up to the squadroom, since the elevator was still out of commission after everything that happened with Harper Dearing, and met his team, the MCRT, and Gianna there.

"Hey," he greeted them in general. He saw Kensi's head shoot up to look at him, and turned to look her in the eyes. "Hey," he said directly to her, quieter than before.

"Hey," she replied softly, meeting his eyes.

Callen and Sam shared a glance, rolling their eyes. Tony and Ziva looked at each other and smirked. Abby, McGee, Gianna, and Palmer all grinned.

"Hey," Gibbs barked as he entered the bullpen. Deeks and Kensi immediately broke their intense staring match and looked at him. "Don't tell me that you two are gonna be playing grab-ass just as much as Tony and Ziva do."

Gianna snorted in laughter; Tony and Ziva both suddenly found the carpet extremely interesting.

"So, what do we got?" Gibbs asked.

"The judge for the case is Zoey Vincent, a woman who was abused by her much older half-brother when she was young," Deeks began. "That could give us an advantage." He paused for a moment. "I'm going to testify. I got through to Sheila and the twins, but I still have to talk to Jessica and Alicia."

"Who's the attorney?" Gianna asked from her seat at Gibbs's desk. "I'm going to have to talk to whoever it is to prepare my testimony, won't I?"

"That is if you are okay with making a testimony," Deeks replied. "And your parents are okay with it."

Tony turned to Ziva, who was sitting next to him on the edge of Ziva's desk, and cocked one eyebrow. She nodded, and then tilted her head to one side, asking if it was okay with him. His response was a short nod, and they looked back at Deeks and nodded simultaneously.

"They just had a complete conversation without saying a word," Callen whispered incredulously.

"Guess that's what being partners for seven years will do to you," Sam replied.

"Think we'll ever be able to communicate like that?" Callen inquired.

"No. We're always just going to banter."

"So, who _is _the attorney?" Gianna asked, looking between her parents and Deeks.

"I went to law school. I thought I could give an insider's point of view if I did it myself."

"You haven't studied law for years," came a female voice from behind them. They turned to see a blonde woman being escorted into the bullpen by a security guard. "Whereas I have."

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Kensi asked.

"Sorry, forgot to introduce myself," she apologized, joining the throng gathered around in the squadroom. "Jessica Brandel. I'm Marty's sister."

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**Look at my lovely little plot twist! (sorta)! Well, so what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Favorite lines? Reasons to murder me? Anyways, to my lovely American readers - Happy Almost-Fourth of July! (in case I don't make any posts tomorrow - which I probably won't).**


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